Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise to state that due to unforseen circumstances, I missed rollcall vote 354 to H. Res. 1194 taken on May 22, 2008. Had I been present for this vote, I would have voted ``yea'' on this measure.

I thank Congressman Shimkus, and I appreciate your leadership today and also on the Energy and Commerce Committee where Congressman Shimkus has worked hard on issues to help solve the problems in this country.

Congressman Shimkus, you are right. I didn't realize until you showed the chart, how much under Democratic leadership oil prices have gone up. It is staggering. And gas prices have gone up, too, under Democratic leadership in this Congress.

Congressman Shimkus knows, too, that we have tried very hard on the Energy and Commerce Committee to have rational, comprehensive solutions in this country. We had a bill recently where Congressman Shimkus tried to get some of his legislation into this bill that would have helped a great deal, the coal-to-liquids technology, and it was stifled. They wouldn't allow it in.

What kind of bill did we get. Congressman Shimkus is right, ``no'' is not an energy policy. We got no energy policy. We got a bill that was energy policy in name only.

What they did was they had those curly light bulbs with mercury from China in them and everybody is going to put the bulbs in their homes, and that is really going to help our energy solution. That is a step in the right direction, I guess, but it is not going to solve our problem.

Also they looked at efficiencies in our appliances, which is a good thing, but we need to go much, much further.

One of the things that Congressman Shimkus talked about is supply and demand, and that is what this is all about. We haven't built a refinery in this country in the last 30 years. Congressman Garrett was talking about that. That is a problem. When all of our refineries are operating at maximum capacity, you can only get so much fuel out of them. We need more refineries in this country, and we can do it in an environmentally sound way.

Also, we need to spur domestic production, getting more oil, gas and coal in the United States instead of relying on countries, particularly in the Middle East, that we have been at war with recently. That is not a good idea. If it is in our backyard, let's get it here. Nobody wants to hurt the environment. Everybody wants to have clean air, water, and land. The oil, gas and coal companies do, too.

We also need in our energy policy to start looking at other energy sources as well. That is important, getting away from oil, gas and coal, but it is not going to be in the near future. It is a pure technology-driven issue. And we need alternative sources of energy. We need solar and wind. We need nuclear. We need alternative fuels. We need all of those things, but it is going to take time. You can't do it immediately. We need to develop those technologies to where they can be brought to the public, like batteries in cars developed to where people can afford them, and develop and use alternative energy sources. And we need to develop more gas and oil here in the United States.

You know, Cuba allows China to drill off the coast of Florida. Yet in the United States, we can't drill in a lot of places offshore here in the United States. We can't do it.

Also here in the United States there are areas where we can't explore in. We hear a lot about the Alaskan Wildlife Reserve. Let's develop that here in the United States. There is a vast quantity of oil in the Alaskan Wildlife Reserve. We can develop it in an environmentally sound way where it is not going to hurt some caribou or anything like that. The Alaskan pipeline, they said that was going to happen there, yet the caribou actually like the pipeline. They use it for shelter.

But if we develop the Alaskan Wildlife Reserve, let's put it in perspective. If ANWR were the size of a football field, the area we are talking about drilling in would be the size of a postage stamp on the football field. The footprint we drill in would be relatively small. Oil and gas companies want to do it in an environmentally sound way. And some experts say we could produce at least 2 million barrels a day out of ANWR. We were importing almost that much from Saddam Hussein and Iraq before the war happened. We could lessen that.

It is ridiculous that we depend so much on countries that have been hostile to the United States on something that is so important.

But when we look at energy policy, we need to look at it from a multi-pronged approach. We need to look at all of the oil, gas and coal. They are here to stay for the time being. But we need to look at alternative energy sources as well. I think everybody agrees that is important.

We need real solutions. We need real energy policy in this country, and we are not getting it from the Democrat-controlled Congress. We have worked hard and Congressman Shimkus has worked hard in the committee to get these things done, but they stifle them every time. We need real solutions to real problems, and this is a problem that if we don't address relatively soon, it is going to come home to roost. It is a national security issue. We are putting ourselves in jeopardy, and it is wrong. It is the wrong thing to do.

Again, I commend Congressman Shimkus for all he does on the Energy and Commerce Committee and for doing this special order tonight.

Madam Speaker, today, I am pleased to introduce H.R. 5721, the Strengthening the Safety Net Act of 2008. This important legislation will increase Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments to Oklahoma and 19 other low DSH States and bring Oklahoma's hospitals on equal footing with other States who receive their fair share of DSH funds.

With Oklahoma having the fourth highest rate of uninsured in the Nation, it is critical that Oklahoma hospitals receive a fair distribution of DSH funds we need to care for our indigent population. This legislation will increase the rate that unused DSH funds are reimbursed to these low DSH States from the current rate of 16 percent to 19.5 percent for the next 5 years. The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 statutorily defined low DSH States and provided these States with 16 percent funding increases each year for the last 5 fiscal years. In total, there are 20 States that have lower DSH allotments, including: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The 16 percent rate expires at the end of this fiscal year, so it is critical that we increase this percentage so that our hospitals do not feel the financial strain of providing health care services to the indigent.

Under the 19.5 percent increases, Oklahoma will receive an additional $49 million in Federal funds which, when matched by the State, could amount to $75 million over the 5-year period to allocate to Oklahoma hospitals to help offset the costs of uncompensated care. Oklahoma hospitals provided $325 million in uncompensated care costs in 2006. H.R. 5721 will help decrease uncompensated care costs for Oklahoma hospitals and ensure fairness among all 50 States by equitably distributing unused DSH Funds.

Since this bill is being solely funded through unused Federal DSH allotments, the funding source of the bill merely utilizes funds that are currently being returned to the Federal Government by other States that do not use all of their DSH funds. These unused funds currently are not being used toward any other health care related programs.

Another important issue which needs to be addressed is access to quality, affordable health care, especially within our Nation's indigent population. Indigent patients in Oklahoma and our Nation face a significant number of unmet health care needs. These patients have difficulty accessing primary, diagnostic and specialty care and rely on hospital emergency rooms as their primary entry into the health care system. The price of treating the indigent at hospital emergency rooms is astounding compared to care found in a primary care setting. H.R. 5721 will help bring down these costs and save taxpayer dollars in the process.

My legislation will create an innovative new grant program through the Department of Health and Human Services to help our Nation's health care providers fund health access networks, which will get low income and uninsured patients who need basic medical care out of emergency rooms and into primary care facilities. These networks would be required to provide high quality primary, outpatient, inpatient and specialty care to uninsured and other medically vulnerable populations in an effort to reduce the costs of treating these individuals for hospitals and taxpayers alike.

According to a 2005 study by the Lewin Group on Strategic Planning for Safety-Net Services, Tulsa, like many communities, faces many challenges in its delivery, financing and organization that limit its ability to successfully meet the needs of safety-net populations. To give an example, the price of treating the indigent at our hospital emergency rooms is astounding compared to the cost of treating someone in a primary care setting. To give you an example: the Oklahoma Health Care Authority recently found that the cost of a claim for asthma treatment in a primary care setting was $34.12 per claim, while the average cost for the same asthma treatment in an emergency room setting was $61.20 per claim. While some of these claims may have been emergencies, it is clear that treatment in an outpatient setting is significantly less, almost two times less, than treatment in an emergency room. Without these networks in place, the majority of Oklahoma's uninsured will continue to go without a primary healthcare provider.

Lastly, my bill also changes the grandfather clause for the mandatory requirement related to hospitals providing nonemergency obstetric services which are located in low DSH States. The new grandfather clause will be the date this law becomes enacted. The purpose of this change is to remove a constraint imposed on low DSH States whose rural hospitals stopped providing nonemergency obstetrics during the 1990s and early 2000s due to rising liability insurance costs. The change is intended to encourage low DSH States to change their approach to funding more hospitals through the DSH program. Should my legislation become law, 16 additional Oklahoma hospitals will be able to qualify for DSH funds.

I am pleased to have the support of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, the Oklahoma Hospital Association and advocates for Tulsa health-plexes for the Strengthening the Safety Net Act of 2008. As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, I am looking forward to working with my colleagues on the committee to see this legislation become law.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1424, the Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007. I would like to commend Congressman Kennedy and Congressman Ramstad for the work they have done on this bill.

There is a problem I have with it, though. I am disappointed with the offsets that are in there. I think these offsets do punish the pharmaceutical industry for participating in the Medicaid program, and it places financial limitations on physician-owned hospitals. Unfortunately, these offsets are essentially just a political game, and I hope at the end of the day they are not in this bill.

Mental health illness, if someone has a biologically based mental disorder, it is no fault of their own. They either have it or they don't. It is a chemical imbalance of the brain, and I think it should be treated like any other illness, and it is high time in this country that we do that.

This bill, people are going to say, we are going to score it, it is going to cost all this money. It is not. Some research says we spent $100 billion last year on untreated mental illness in lost productivity in the workforce in this country, and last year we lost $400 billion in lost productivity in the workforce due to substance abuse problems in this country. It is high time that we do not brush this issue aside anymore. We can't do it. It is costing us way too much.

My State of Oklahoma has the highest rate of mental illness in the United States of America. I don't know why, but we do, and we need to address it. That is why I was so glad that Congressman Kennedy did come to my district to hold a field hearing there.

We heard from businesses. We asked them point-blank, one of the biggest employers in my district, we said, is this going to cost you money? He said, no, it will help us. It will save money. We talked to other people in the district about that as well.

People need this desperately. It is high time that we do treat people that have a mental disorder just like anyone else that has diabetes, a heart illness, or any other illness. I urge my colleagues to support this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wonder how Congress could possibly consider addressing an energy bill that has no energy in it.

The House is considering energy legislation which does nothing to expand domestic energy production, develop nuclear or coal-to-liquids technology, and only increases our Nation's dependence on foreign oil and hurts American jobs and the economy.

While promoting the use of alternative energy is a worthy and long- term goal, by mandating and increasing renewable fuels 36 billion gallons by 2022 without concern to the fact that this technology does not exist today and with almost no consideration of cost or price to consumers, it is not the right direction for our country or the Nation's energy industry.

In addition, the renewable portfolio standards mandates in this legislation, which only nine States can currently meet, can increase the cost to Oklahomans by a whopping $900 million.

Given our country's current energy needs and our long-term goal of energy independence and security, it is imperative for us to increase our domestic production of crude oil and natural gas while exploring innovative and renewable energy technologies.

Madam Speaker, I missed rollcall vote 968 to H.R. 3678 taken on October 16, 2007. Had I been present for this vote, I would have voted ``aye.''

While I support this extension of the Internet tax moratorium, simply extending the ban another four years is not enough. We need to make this ban permanent so that Oklahoma's families can continue to stay connected to each other and use the Internet for educational, business, and recreational purposes.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the Oklahoma National Guard's 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) which is set to deploy to Iraq early next year in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Today, a farewell ceremony honoring 2,400 deploying soldiers in the 45th IBCT is taking place at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma. Families and friends throughout the state will have an opportunity to celebrate the patriotism and courage of Oklahoma's citizen soldiers. This will be the largest single deployment of Oklahoma's citizen soldiers since the Korean War, an important event in the history of the Oklahoma National Guard.

On October 19, 2007, the 45th IBCT will begin to move their soldiers to the mobilization station at Fort Bliss, Texas. While at Fort Bliss, the brigade will undergo 10 to 12 weeks of intense mission specific training which will prepare them for any mission unique tasks that they will be required to perform while deploying to Iraq next year.

The stakes could not be higher for success in the Global War on Terror. The 45th IBCT will play a critical role in securing Iraq from al-Qaeda and other militants seeking to undermine Iraq's growth and security, and protect America from future threats.

I know this is not the first deployment for many of these brave men and women and their families back home. Their collective sacrifice for our Nation's security is symbolic of the pride Oklahoma has for our citizen soldiers serving in times of war and conflict.

I am confident the 45th IBCT is ready to answer the call in the defense of our Nation. With this deployment, they are carrying forward the proud history of this brigade. It is an honor to represent many of these brave citizen soldiers in Congress, and I look forward to supporting the 45th IBCT's critically important mission to the fullest extent possible.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize IC Corporation of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and its parent company, Navistar International. This year, the IC school bus facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma will manufacture its fifty thousandth school bus since the company became part of the Tulsa community in 1999. I am honored to represent the employees at IC Corporation who build the school buses that provide a reliable means of transportation and keep our children safe as they travel to and from school.

The current IC facility originally opened 19 days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and was built to make B-24 Bombers to help our Nation win WWII. Based on a history of hard work, the first school bus was built by IC Corporation in January 2001. Still one of the largest industries in Tulsa County, the buses built by the employees of the Tulsa IC Bus Plant carry hundreds of thousands of children around the country to and from school.

The employees at the Tulsa plant exemplify dedication and are one reason that the IC Corporation has more than 60 percent market share in the school bus industry. The fifty thousandth school bus will be delivered to the Ardmore City Schools in Oklahoma at a ceremony on October 17, 2007. Congratulations again, and thank you to IC Corporation and the more than 900 employees who work at the Tulsa Bus Plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Madam Speaker, I rise to state for the Record that I intended to vote ``aye'' on rollcall vote 859 taken on September 6, 2007 supporting passage of H.R. 2786, the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Reauthorization Act.

Mr. Speaker, it's really astounding that there is nothing in this bill that stops States from covering illegal immigrations in this bill. People have come up to me and said, you know, the Democrats, the people in the Senate wanted to allow illegal aliens to get free Social Security benefits. Now they want to give free health care, and that's wrong.

There is nothing in this bill that prevents adults, States from covering adults, giving them health care. There's nothing in this bill that prevents States from even covering the children of the Members of Congress in this bill.

I think this is a bill that should not happen. I rise today in strong opposition to it.

One of my problems is that it eliminates the 5-year waiting period for immigrants who deserve to be eligible for Medicare and SCHIP. Congress wisely created this waiting period, and eliminating this waiting period will exacerbate our current immigration problems and further endanger government health care programs. By repealing this current law, millions of citizens will be eligible for Medicaid and SCHIP immediately.

Had this bill been brought to the committee, the proper thing, I had an amendment that would have saved taxpayers $2.2 billion having this waiting period.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

Madam Speaker, I rise to state for the record that I missed rollcall vote 541 to H.R. 2764 taken on June 22, 2007. Had I been present for this vote, I would have voted ``aye.''

I stand in strong support of H. Amdt. 390, which would prohibit the use of funds for travel by the Speaker of the House of Representatives to countries that are state sponsors of terrorism.

Madam Speaker, I rise to state for the record that I missed rollcall vote 542 to H.R. 2764 taken on June 21, 2007. Had I been present for this vote, I would have voted ``nay.''

As an ardent supporter of the rights of the unborn, I am strongly opposed to this legislation, which weakens existing Federal policies and laws on abortion.

Madam Speaker, I rise to state for the record that I missed rollcall vote No. 534 to H.R. 2764 taken on June 21, 2007. Had I been present for this vote, I would have voted ``aye.''

I am opposed to overturning the longstanding Mexico City policy which prohibits funding for foreign non-governmental organizations that perform or promote abortions as a method of family planning. I stand in strong support of H. Amdt. 368, which would remove the language overturning the Mexico City policy.

Madam Speaker, I rise to state for the record that I missed roll call vote 532 to H.R. 2764 taken on June 21, 2007. Had I been present for this vote, I would have voted aye.

As an ardent supporter of the rights of the unborn, I stand in strong support of H. AMDT. 364, which would restore the President's emergency plan for AIDS relief authorization provision requiring 33 percent of HIV/AIDS prevention funding to be spent on abstinence and fidelity promotion programs.

Madam Speaker, I rise to state for the record that I missed rollcall vote 533 to H.R. 2764 taken on June 21, 2007. Had I been present for this vote, I would have voted ``nay.''

As an ardent supporter of the rights of the unborn, I am strongly opposed to H. Amdt. 367, which would allow international non- governmental organizations--NGOs--who do not comply with the Mexico City Policy to receive family planning assistance from the United States.